Need cage inspo please

[Em_]

The trixie platforms beryl mentioned are ok. I've seen a set up with two of those overlapping so it goes across the width of the cage. I got my shelf from ebay. I have two plazas so needed to get a second shelf the same. The first one came from Ranchhouse cages and we had to cut a bit off to make it fit. They stopped doing them so the second one came from another ebay seller who makes them herself - she actually cut it to the exact correct dimensions for no extra charge I have the dimensions if you want to do something like that. The trouble with that shelf was I didn't like the fixings it came with so had to drill small holes and use screws and washers instead. It's very sturdy though.

Pardon our interruption...

thanks for the info will definetly be getting one of those

 

[Em_]

The trixie shelf might work out cheaper though and save some money towards other items. I love my shelf - it will last forever lol!

Yes I am debating which one to choose I think I’ll go for the trixie shelf so I can buy other items with the money

 

[Member ID2]

The Trixie shelves are only £6.99 on Amazon but like with a lot of things by Trixie the quality is a bit hit and miss.

The last one had a sharp staple sticking out so i pulled it out. They definitely need checking over before use. I give mine a couple of coats of plastikote so i can wipe them with a damp cloths.

Maz's shelves look far better quality.

 

[Maz]

They are less simple though. The shelf was about £15. £18 including postage. Then I needed to drill holes and use screws and washers. The bolt fixings it came with stick out through the cage bars which made it really hard to get it in the cage (the bolts got in the way although you can get them out) - and then they stick out so I felt it was a bit of a hazard having them sticking out. I left the ones at the back of the cage (which is against the wall) and took out the side and front ones. But that meant needing someone with a drill to drill a very small hole to put a screw into.

The ranchouse cages ones came with much better fixings. Predrilled holes with screws and washers supplied. They might make you one the right size if you email them and ask them. But they do a lot less since the pandemic.

They call themselves ranchhousecagekit now. I also get the coloured bendy bridges and small shelves from there. They only sell those as a pack now though, which makes it a bit expensive if you only want the bendy bridge. You can get coloured bendy bridges other places but these come with predrilled holes at one side and screws and washers - so you can screw them to cage bars if you want. I used two overlapping ones as a ramp once.

The little shelves are quite useful though (unless you don't need them). I've used two to make some steps up to a house roof before.

But if you message them and ask if they can make a shelf a certain size they might do. But two trixie ones is probably a lot less hassle!

Small Animal Cages, Hutches & Enclosures for Sale - eBay

Cheap Small Animal Cages, Hutches & Enclosures for sale - Free shipping on many items - Browse hamster cages & rabbit cages on eBay

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Maz]

All these things add up and can get expensive though. So instead of a shelf, another option is to get a large multiroom house with a flat roof - and that makes a shelf too. They aren't cheap - but at least you're not buying a shelf as well.

 

[Maz]

Or - you could get a shelf/shelves and have a shoebox house They work very well. You can decorate it if you want it to look different but it probably won't show much, especially if you put a chill n chew mat on top or a piece of hemp mat

There are lots of things you can make rather than buy. Pringles tubes make good tunnels. I've seen someone wrap/cover a pringles tube with sisal string to make it look more natural. Personally I like a bit of colour and a heath robinson look lol!

 

[Em_]

Thanks for all of your suggestions

 

[Em_]

Have you seen the "Show us your cages" thread? I have a number of photos of set ups in that cage as well. Used it for various Syrians. I'll dig them out.

View attachment 1160

View attachment 1161

View attachment 1162

View attachment 1163

View attachment 1164

The ones below are for our current Syrian - this is how it was originally - shoe box house and 10" wheel (I was waiting for a house and wheel to arrive).

View attachment 1165

This is after the new labyrinth house and wheel

View attachment 1166

View attachment 1167

View attachment 1168


Then a slight tweak to add a shelf at one end next to the sputnik.


View attachment 1169

Hi, sorry to bother you yet again lol, but do you know where the house is from? the wooden one on the left of your cage

 

[Maz]

That's a Rodipet labyrinth house. They don't make that one any more - they have some newer similar ones. Rodipet are based in Germany - they have some great hamster stuff - and they ship to the Uk - but there is postage to pay as well - usually about £8. Which makes it more expensive. Happy Henry's homes sell similar ones.

This is the newer version for Syrians. I think the size and compartments are identical to mine, but they've changed the roof - instead of a one piece roof, it is smaller sections that can be lifted off individually. Including two granite pieces They're good for a cool spot for a hamster to sit on and also good to help keep their nails trim when they walk on it. They're quite expensive though.

Rodipet – Innovation leben. Zukunft gestalten. Tiere verstehen.

The Syrian one from Happy Henrys homes is slightly cheaper and assume postage would be less. In both cases though you need legs for the house . Hamsters can tunnel under a large or heavier house and it can fall on them. Rodipet sell legs/stilts for their houses and I think Happy Henrys homes do as well. Or if you're diy minded you can just glue some dowels on for legs. I did that the first time so I had the legs exactly the height I wanted for a particular cage.

Basically with the legs/stilts, the house sits at about the height of the substrate, if you have 6" of substrate. If you want it to sit lower than that you can cut a bit off the legs (but that's a pain and hard work with a saw!) The thin dowel legs I made were easy to cut though

Hamster Chamber House - Formaldehyde Free, Non Toxic, Wooden, Slot Together & Mo | Happy Henry’s Homes

Slot Together Wooden Hamster Chamber House Made from robust materials Assembled without glue or nails Flat packed to save on packaging materials Modular, allowing you to change the design to suit your requirements Chambers can be changed into two main configurations Removeable roof for checking...

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

Further down this thread you can see my dowel legs and how they worked/were stuck on.

DIY

I love DIY, especially when its hamster related. I'm hooked on making bin cages and donate them to rescues. My favourite item in the kitchen is a Dremel tool. It does not belong into a shed but i do use it outside of course. I'm always on the lookout for big plastic boxed. My best haul was four...

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Em_]

They are less simple though. The shelf was about £15. £18 including postage. Then I needed to drill holes and use screws and washers. The bolt fixings it came with stick out through the cage bars which made it really hard to get it in the cage (the bolts got in the way although you can get them out) - and then they stick out so I felt it was a bit of a hazard having them sticking out. I left the ones at the back of the cage (which is against the wall) and took out the side and front ones. But that meant needing someone with a drill to drill a very small hole to put a screw into.

The ranchouse cages ones came with much better fixings. Predrilled holes with screws and washers supplied. They might make you one the right size if you email them and ask them. But they do a lot less since the pandemic.

They call themselves ranchhousecagekit now. I also get the coloured bendy bridges and small shelves from there. They only sell those as a pack now though, which makes it a bit expensive if you only want the bendy bridge. You can get coloured bendy bridges other places but these come with predrilled holes at one side and screws and washers - so you can screw them to cage bars if you want. I used two overlapping ones as a ramp once.

The little shelves are quite useful though (unless you don't need them). I've used two to make some steps up to a house roof before.

But if you message them and ask if they can make a shelf a certain size they might do. But two trixie ones is probably a lot less hassle!

Small Animal Cages, Hutches & Enclosures for Sale - eBay

Cheap Small Animal Cages, Hutches & Enclosures for sale - Free shipping on many items - Browse hamster cages & rabbit cages on eBay

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Em_]

That's a Rodipet labyrinth house. They don't make that one any more - they have some newer similar ones. Rodipet are based in Germany - they have some great hamster stuff - and they ship to the Uk - but there is postage to pay as well - usually about £8. Which makes it more expensive. Happy Henry's homes sell similar ones.

This is the newer version for Syrians. I think the size and compartments are identical to mine, but they've changed the roof - instead of a one piece roof, it is smaller sections that can be lifted off individually. Including two granite pieces They're good for a cool spot for a hamster to sit on and also good to help keep their nails trim when they walk on it. They're quite expensive though.

Rodipet – Innovation leben. Zukunft gestalten. Tiere verstehen.

The Syrian one from Happy Henrys homes is slightly cheaper and assume postage would be less. In both cases though you need legs for the house . Hamsters can tunnel under a large or heavier house and it can fall on them. Rodipet sell legs/stilts for their houses and I think Happy Henrys homes do as well. Or if you're diy minded you can just glue some dowels on for legs. I did that the first time so I had the legs exactly the height I wanted for a particular cage.

Basically with the legs/stilts, the house sits at about the height of the substrate, if you have 6" of substrate. If you want it to sit lower than that you can cut a bit off the legs (but that's a pain and hard work with a saw!) The thin dowel legs I made were easy to cut though

Hamster Chamber House - Formaldehyde Free, Non Toxic, Wooden, Slot Together & Mo | Happy Henry’s Homes

Slot Together Wooden Hamster Chamber House Made from robust materials Assembled without glue or nails Flat packed to save on packaging materials Modular, allowing you to change the design to suit your requirements Chambers can be changed into two main configurations Removeable roof for checking...

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

Further down this thread you can see my dowel legs and how they worked/were stuck on.

DIY

I love DIY, especially when its hamster related. I'm hooked on making bin cages and donate them to rescues. My favourite item in the kitchen is a Dremel tool. It does not belong into a shed but i do use it outside of course. I'm always on the lookout for big plastic boxed. My best haul was four...

www.thehamsterforum.com

thanks yet again for your help

 

[Maz]

Ever since I first got one of the labyrinth houses/multi chamber hides for our first syrian, I was blown away about how well they worked and gave normal habits for a hamster - and you have a happy hamster. Every Syrian I've had (bar one!) has always used the largest compartment on the left to build a big cosy nest - it's almost predictable because that's the darkest area inside - it's around two corners and light doesn't go round corners. All of them (but one!) have used the middle back section as a toilet/bathroom. You just lift the lid off and empty the toilet Keeps the cage clean and dry. They tend to hoard under the nest and bury it down in the substrate. The far end is just used as a run for the top door.

 

[Maz]

So that's usually my main or big purchase. The rest I cut corners on costwise usually. Although the right wheel can be another big purchase. I like having the wheel attached to the bars in that cage. That way you can put it at whatever height you want and it's stable. Not all wheels attach to the bars. It doesn't have to attach to the bars - you could have a wheel standing on a platform so it's supported underneath. But then that tends to jut out in the cage and take up more space.

With the wood houses, people paint them inside with plastikote - so they're wipe clean and don't get pee stained (in case they don't hit the toilet properly every time!). A litter tray fits inside the house.

Hamsters do seem to like having their litter tray inside the house and will use it. If they have a smaller house they usually choose a corner of the cage as a toilet and you can put a litter tray there.

 

[Em_]

So that's usually my main or big purchase. The rest I cut corners on costwise usually. Although the right wheel can be another big purchase. I like having the wheel attached to the bars in that cage. That way you can put it at whatever height you want and it's stable. Not all wheels attach to the bars. It doesn't have to attach to the bars - you could have a wheel standing on a platform so it's supported underneath. But then that tends to jut out in the cage and take up more space.

yep i use a large wheel attached to the side, but it’s a bit wobbly i’m going to have to fix it soon

 

[Maz]

Mine wobbles a bit too lol. Our Syrian thunders in it. It's a silent wheel but he runs so hard it bangs against the cage a bit. Sometimes an extra washer or fixing helps - so the wheel isn't as close to the bars.

 

[Em_]

Mine wobbles a bit too lol. Our Syrian thunders in it. It's a silent wheel but he runs so hard it bangs against the cage a bit. Sometimes an extra washer or fixing helps - so the wheel isn't as close to the bars.

yes it does bang against the cage

 

[Maz]

Having just bought a cage though, buying an expensive house can be a bit much. A shoebox house is quite large and although it doesn't have rooms exactly, you can still put a litter tray inside and the flat roof still makes a shelf . If you do get one I'd definitely recommend painting it with plastikote - so it can be kept and used again in the future (easy to clean). I sometimes think it can't be that hard to make one, if you have the right tools. It's just a box with compartments really - and holes cut out for doors.

 

[Em_]

Having just bought a cage though, buying an expensive house can be a bit much. A shoebox house is quite large and although it doesn't have rooms exactly, you can still put a litter tray inside and the flat roof still makes a shelf . If you do get one I'd definitely recommend painting it with plastikote - so it can be kept and used again in the future (easy to clean). I sometimes think it can't be that hard to make one, if you have the right tools. It's just a box with compartments really - and holes cut out for doors.

yes it can be expensive thank you for your advice

 

[Maz]

I already had the rat sputniks and rat tubes - from previous hamster cage set ups. So didn't have to buy everything at once.

 

[Em_]

I already had the rat sputniks and rat tubes - from previous hamster cage set ups. So didn't have to buy everything at once.

yes that makes it easier